A newlywed couple has been arrested for prostitution after sneaking away from his wife’s sleep and meeting with sex workers during their Florida honeymoon.
Paul Turowski, a 34-year-old business manager from Fort Myers, arranged online meetings with people he believed were prostitutes and paid them for sex, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) cost of.
He then allegedly sneaked away to carry out the act while his wife fell asleep in their hotel room.
Unbeknownst to Mr. Turovsky, however, he had actually been talking to an undercover detective from the HCSO Human Trafficking Unit.
When he arrived for a meeting at the Hyatt Hotel in Tampa, Mr. Turowski was arrested and charged with soliciting prostitution.
At a news conference Thursday, Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Cronister said: “The only problem here is that it’s too late to give them back their gifts as wedding guests. ?”
The newlyweds are just one of at least 360 suspects the team has arrested since June 2021 as the department tries to crack down on human trafficking, including child trafficking.
Sheriff Kronister said 176 men have been arrested in the past three months alone — most of them facing charges related to soliciting prostitutes, and sometimes minors.
The arrests were part of a major attack first launched in April, when investigators posted a fake ad online pretending to be from a father trying to traffic his 14-year-old daughter for sex.
The sheriff said the response to the ad was “pretty overwhelming”.
Similar ads were placed online, and the suspect responded to the ads, speaking with the undercover detective and arranging a meeting.
Paul Turowski allegedly sneaked on honeymoon after arranging meeting with prostitute
(Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office)
“It’s disgusting when you read that these people want to communicate with these young boys, or they want to communicate with these young girls,” he said.
As part of the sting, two teenage girls, 16 and 17, were rescued in Tampa from the clutches of two human traffickers.
The teens were missing from their Massachusetts home and trafficked to Florida by two men, police said.
Investigators found one of the men and a girl sleeping in the car at a local grocery store, while the second suspect was at a nearby hotel with the second girl and another male suspect.
All three men were arrested and the missing teen was placed in protective custody.
The sheriff said the agency is now working with federal law enforcement to determine if the individuals were also involved in other human trafficking cases.
Another group of 10 men were also arrested for trying to force children to have sex with them.
Photos of suspects caught by human trafficking brigade
(Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office)
“When given the opportunity to meet, some did not take the bait, while others got into their cars and drove, hoping to meet the minor,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
“Instead, thankfully, they found themselves face-to-face with our representatives and were quickly arrested.”
In total, the team has rescued eight victims of human trafficking since it began work last year, with one being sent to a rehabilitation center, another returning to her mother, and another offering to return to another. Airfare for family members in one state.
The sheriff has vowed that the department’s work is far from over and they will continue to track down those involved in human trafficking and prostitution.
“We believe that if we dry up the demand, there will be no human trafficking, because no one can profit from a young child, a young girl or a boy, or any adult, because there is no demand,” he said.
